What? It's for Charity!
by AnimalloversInc
Summary: Dean Ambrose takes part in an auction for charity; when he goes to meet his mystery female bidder, he comes face to face with a love from the past. Is 11 years too long ago to rekindle a romance? Rated M for language and adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: Ok; so this was supposed to be a one shot; however, Lauren has continued to whisper her story in my head, lol. So it looks like It will be at least a few chapters long. We'll see how long she keeps feeding me this story. As usual, I do not own the character of Dean Ambrose; WWE owns it and while I wish I could own Jon Good, the man behind Dean Ambrose, Alas he owns himself. Lauren and the briefly mentioned Elaine are my OC's; I do own them, lol. As usual, please take the time to review this story if you like it; or even if you don't. I have thick skin, and broad shoulders; I can take it.**_

Dean hated doing these charity things; He'd rather be hanging out at some hole-in-the-wall bar, drinking way too much. Hooking up with some random chick wouldn't be so bad either; but no, WWE Talent Relations had somehow convinced him to take part in one of those bachelor auctions. You know the ones, a bunch of desperate women with extra cash to blow show up and bid on some hot guy they'd never get any other way. The winning woman gets to go on some fantasy date with their stud of choice so they can then use the memory to get themselves off for a few months. He supposed he should be flattered; at least they thought he was hot, he couldn't argue with that! He supposed it was good that the money went to charity.

He was pacing backstage; he had decided to wear the all black suit he had worn to the 2013 Slammy Awards; he slicked his hair back, that look had made all the fan girls go nuts on social media. He knew he looked good; so he might as well be some woman's sexual fantasy, maybe if she was halfway decent looking he'd actually give her a real sexual fantasy to remember. Yeah; that wouldn't be so bad. Suddenly he realized it was his turn to go on stage; time to turn on that "Dean Ambrose Sexy Bad Boy" charm.

_**Our Next Bachelor is a WWE Superstar; a former United States Champion, he is offering a dinner date ending with front row tickets to a WWE Live event and a backstage tour! Ladies….Be generous to charity tonight and get those checkbooks out to win your date with The "Lunatic Fringe" himself; Dean Ambrose!**_

Dean came out from behind the curtain and walked down the cheesy runway, like he was some kind of model. He really wanted to roll his eyes at this whole thing; but he managed to control himself. Dean stopped at the end of the runway and grinned; slowly turning around so that the ladies could see his backside to. He should be used to be stared at and watched; but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was burning a hole right through him. He walked back up to the MC and the bidding began. Dean looked around the crowd trying to find the woman who was paying way too much attention to him; but the lights on the stage blocked his view.

In the dark of the room; about halfway back in the room from the stage; a slender, tan woman with long legs sat at a table. Up until a few moments ago she had been bored; that was until he came out on stage. Now she was very, very interested; he was the reason she was there tonight. She could smell his cologne and the faint smell of cigarettes mixed with mint. She waited till the bidding war was in full swing; let them exhaust their money and then she would be sure to place the winning bid. Once the MC announced the current bid was 'going twice'; she spoke up, "$10,000. The room was silent until she bid three times what the current bid had been; then the room was filled with gasps and whispers. The MC went through the motions; then announced 'SOLD'. Her blood red lips curled into a satisfied smile; she sent the check to the appropriate person with a note to her purchase. Dean had tried to spot the woman who purchased his date, but she seemed to have disappeared. He was now backstage getting ready to get out of there; when the MC congratulated him on being the one to get the highest bid. The man handed Dean the note. Dean opened the note:

_Entirely worth every cent! You may meet me at the restaurant mentioned by the MC in the description of the date, tomorrow night; 9pm sharp. Please don't be late, and feel free to wear that same cologne; it is quite intoxicating! You'll know who I am when you see me. Until tomorrow night!_

The note had no signature, no phone number and no address. Suppose something came up and he couldn't make it; how would he know how to reschedule with her. It definitely piqued his interest; first he couldn't imagine why anyone would pay $10,000 for dinner with him, some tickets to a show and a backstage tour, secondly he really wanted to know why she left in such a hurry, finally he wanted to know what made the mystery woman think he would recognize her when he saw her. Dean decided he wouldn't get any answers tonight; he was tired and really needed beer and a cigarette. He headed back to the hotel and stopped at the hotel bar. He was part way through his second beer when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Hey Dean! Mind if I join you?" Renee purred to him. Dean had made a big mistake a while ago thinking it was great idea to hook up with the blond. He figured she'd be convenient while they were on the road. Suddenly she had become a clingy, crazy annoyance. She seemed to think they were an item; Dean disagreed strongly. He had even told her to hit the road and stop bothering him; yet here she was, again.

"Renee. We had this talk a million times before; we aren't a couple, we never will be a couple, it was just a little fun. Why don't you go find yourself a guy who might be interested in you? That's not me." He yet again, blew her off. She huffed and walked down to the other end of the bar and started flirting with Fandango. All Dean could think was, 'That is a couple made for each other'. He finished the beer, ran outside for a quick smoke and finally poured himself into bed.

The next morning was just like most for Dean, he met his two closest friends at the gym. Seth and Roman grilled him about the charity auction. "I don't know; I hate those things, I had some chick bid $10,000 for me. I guess it was the highest bid of the night." They asked him who the woman was, "Don't know that either, she gave them a note to give to me and left before I could see who she was. It says I'll know her when I see her. It's probably some fan girl who thinks I remember her from some autograph signing; because you know we remember everyone." He chuckled. "Hope she's not crazy."

"You want us to buy you some mace or some pepper spray…oooo….how about a rape whistle?" Seth laughed.

"Shut up Seth! I'm pretty sure you would have been offered $10,000 to leave the stage at that auction." Dean snapped back with a grin. "I'll be fine. Look, I have some interviews and promos to shoot. I'll catch up with you guys later." Once Dean had finished his media stuff and the promos; he realized he needed to get back to the hotel and get ready for his date with the mystery woman. She specifically said not to be late. Dean grabbed a quick shower, slicking his hair back like he had done the night before. He threw on the all black suit and finished with his cologne. He got into his rental truck and drove to the restaurant. He was still unsure of how he would know this woman.

When Dean arrived, he started to look around at everyone dining there. His eyes scanned the room and then they landed on her. The beautiful woman with the long black hair that fell over her shoulders and cascaded down her back; she was wearing very little make-up, except for her red lips. She looked so different; but he truly would have known her even in a crowd of a million people. Every once and a while that face would drift into his dreams; those were the nights he seemed to sleep the best. The last time he had seen her was when he was 18. She looked so classy now; he thought she was classy even back then, but it was clear she was living a better life now. He started walking toward the table where she was sitting; as he got closer she looked up and greeted him with a big smile. She stood up and held her arms out for a hug; which he was happy to give her. "Lauren? It really is you isn't it?" He hugged her probably a little longer than might have been considered normal.

It was Lauren who finally pulled back from the hug and grinned. "It's really me. God! Look at you! Absolutely worth every penny last night; sit down please." She watched as he took the seat across from her. "You know, I was really starting to think that there wasn't going to be a single man to walk down that stage last night worth bidding on; then you came out. I just knew I had to have the winning bid; and of course, it went to a great charity. Should I call you Dean or Jon?"

"Everyone knows me as Dean now; even my friends call me Dean instead of Jon. You look amazing! I can't get over it; but you were right, I knew you as soon as I saw you." He leaned in closer. "Seriously though; $10,000? You shouldn't have spent that kind of money on me." She put her hand on top of his on the table.

"Stop. I know what you're about to say, you were worth that much to me. Seriously, look how far you've come and you're still belittling yourself. Well right now you're on my dime; so no more of that." She grinned. "Besides; you once told me I was 'worth more than $100, more than $500 that I was worth $10,000 and then some." She could see that he now remembered telling her that. "I'm so proud you got out of Cincinnati and went for your dream; even if at the time I was sad to see you leave."

_**11 years ago**_

"_You could come with me! We could go off together right now and not look back. It will be tough. I won't lie; the Independent circuits they don't pay much per match, but I could get a job on the side and maybe you could get a job at a diner or a store. We could live off Ramen; it's not like that would be any different than now! I don't want to leave you here Lauren; if something bad happened to you and I wasn't here, it would kill me. So what do you say?" Jon looked at her with hope in his eyes._

"_I don't want you to go either; but you have goals, you need to go and achieve them. I would just slow you down; besides, I can't take off. Anton would have a coronary; he would hunt me down and kill me for taking off, not to mention what he might do to you. I can't risk that; besides, we both know my only skills are in the bedroom and no one in their right mind would hire a prostitute to work in their business. I'll be fine; I always am; besides I have your mom kinda looking out for me." Lauren was getting teary-eyed and she hated crying. "Go on and go Jon; make something of yourself ok? Maybe think of me sometimes." She kissed his cheek and ran out of the crappy apartment; determined not to hold him back._

_**13 years ago**_

_It was Jon's 16__th__ birthday; normally he didn't bother celebrate his birthday; it wasn't like he really had anything to celebrate. His life was shit! The only bright side was that the wrestling school he had found decided that even though he was too young to start training; they would let him clean the place and he could watch what types of things he'd be learning when he turned 18. He was one step closer to his dream of becoming a wrestler; even if it was a baby step. The woman who had the nerve to refer to herself as his mother had promised him some 'big surprise' for his birthday. He doubted that it was the news that she was getting clean and sober and was going to stop working the street corner, but that is what he would have wanted more than anything. He didn't like her doing that stuff; he hated it even more when she brought the johns back to their apartment. Smoking crack in the living room; drinking whatever she could afford, sometimes resorting to drinking mouthwash for the alcohol buzz. He loathed Anton; his mom's pimp, he took most of the money she made for him and occasionally helped himself to his girls. He was just about to rummage through the cabinet's to see if he could find food; when he heard his mother's voice. "JON! Get your ass out here; I got your birthday surprise! Don't make me call you a second time you little ingrate." Jon walked into the living room silently, he'd learned long ago not to bother argue with her._

_Once he entered the living room he was face to face with his druggie mom and a girl with long, black hair who couldn't have been any older than he was. She looked like she hadn't eaten or showered in days; she was in an outfit that screamed hooker. It was her eyes that got him the most; they were the saddest eyes he'd ever seen, there was no sparkle in them at all. "This here is Lauren or something like that; she's Anton's new girl. She's never fucked before; so I convinced Anton to let you break her in as your birthday present. Happy birthday kid, I'll be back in 2 hours to bring her back to the corner. Have fun until then!" His mom stumbled out of the apartment. He looked at the girl; she started to cry._

"_Hey, don't cry; it will be ok. Is your name Lauren; I'm Jon; I was just about to see if there was some food lying around. Are you hungry?" The girl shook her head 'Yes'. "Ok; I have no idea what we have, mom's been trading her food stamps for crack again." He looked through the cupboard. Eureka! Tonight; we'll dine on some birthday chicken ramen!" He smiled at the girl; she gave him half a smile. Jon fixed the ramen and split it between two bowls; giving one to the girl. "Look; I don't want to fuck you, the truth is it'd be my first time to. The problem is Anton is a sick bastard; if I don't take your cherry, someone else will and they probably won't be gentle about it. So please let me do it; you're very pretty and it will make me sick to think some random guy is torturing or beating you. I promise, I'll be as gentle as I can and will take care of you the best I can. Will you trust me?"_

"_Y-Yes. I'm really scared!" She said in barely a whisper. Jon walked over and hugged her._

"_As long as I'm around; you'll be ok!" Jon kissed Lauren; it was his first real kiss. It was also the day he lost his virginity with a pretty, scared, 16 year old virgin. Lauren was his first; and she was his. It wasn't too long before they became close friends, confiding in each other. They also made love often. With Jon it was so much better than the gross, sleazy and sometimes abusive men who just took what they wanted from her._

Lauren and Dean never stopped talking all during dinner; she wanted to hear all about his wrestling career and it made her smile to hear how much he loved doing it. Dean wanted to know about what had happened after he left. "It was hard; I didn't have anyone, I missed you very much. I did what I needed to do to stay alive. Anton got in trouble with some big players in a drug cartel; he apparently ripped them off during a deal. They killed him; cops were finding pieces of him all over the city. I was so scared I left the city, eventually I ended up here in New York City, and I needed cash; so I was back on the corner. I was freelancing; didn't have a pimp, so I kept what I earned. One night a limo pulls up to me; I was figuring it was some stock broker, or business man looking for a good time. Only a really well dressed woman got out. I told her I didn't do women; she laughed at me. She told me she wasn't trying to pick me up; she was looking to give me a job. I thought she was crazy Jon; I told her that I didn't need another pimp. She convinced me to just hear her out; she didn't look so tough; I thought I could take her if I needed to. It turned out Elaine was running the biggest escort service in NYC. Like high price escorts; she wasn't looking for a huge cut of my earnings either. So, I took the job."

"So you're still on the job Lauren? I should have insisted that you left that place with me. I shouldn't have left you behind." Jon looked at her.

"I know; but I wouldn't have gone. I was too scared and weak to have done something like that. You have no reason to feel guilty about anything. I'm not exactly on the job anymore; Elaine and I, we clicked. I didn't even realize at first, it started with her asking me to do something for her; she'd show me how to do it and I took over doing it. Then it would be something else; Dean, she was teaching me how to run her business! She announced one evening to all of us that she was getting out; she was ready to retire. Then she announced she was giving it to me; I nearly passed out, she sat me down and we talked. That's when I realized what she had been doing. I don't walk the streets anymore; I don't even see clients anymore, I just own the escort service. Trust me; the $10,000 I bid on you was like pocket change to me." She grinned. "Everything worked out in the end. So I guess we both managed to get out in our own way. Dean we both made it!" Lauren squeezed his hand. "I owe a lot to you; but enough of this depressing stuff. You have to be married by now right?" Jon shook his head.

"Nope." He answered.

"Ok; hot girlfriend?" Lauren asked.

"Nope." He answered.

"Ugly girlfriend?" Lauren grinned.

"Definitely Nope." Dean answered. Lauren started laughing. They both enjoyed their meal. "What about you Lauren? You didn't say if you were involved." Dean grinned

"It's hard to be involved with someone when you run the kind of business I run. Men get a little weird about that. Suddenly they think that I can let them hook up with my girls for free; or they think I'm into orgies or something. So no; I'm not involved." Lauren grinned back.

"Sooo…that's a no for an orgy?" He gave her a pout that made her laugh. Dean had missed that sound, and didn't realize just how much until now.

"Yeah. That's a definite no for the orgy; sorry to disappoint you." She smiled. "You know; I never got to see you wrestle when you were starting, I'm excited to see it at the show."

"Well; we used to wrestle, the two of us." He said.

"Dean; we never wrestled, we had sex." She laughed "I hope you aren't doing that in the ring with those other guys!"

"There was a lot of rolling around, and groaning; so close enough to wrestling. I can't wait to introduce you to my friends." He smiled at her squeezing her hand. "I'm so glad now that you won that bid, Lauren. So I was thinking; maybe after the show, we could spend some more time together?"

"Dean; I paid $10,000 to spend time with you, I think time after the show can be arranged. Maybe you'll have to teach me some wrestling moves." She smirked at Dean. Lauren was about to pay the bill when Dean insisted he pay; not wanting to argue, she let him pay. Deciding it was silly for them to each drive to the arena in separate cars; she got into his pick-up truck. "Somehow, this truck fits you perfectly. I could have seen you in one of these when you were 17."

"Yeah; but at 17 I didn't have the money for a vehicle." He said while driving.

"I would have loaned you the money; if you had asked." Lauren said looking over at him.

"I never would have asked you for anything; I hated knowing you were out there earning money like that. I know at the time you didn't have a choice; but still, you deserved better than that." Dean said quietly, wishing he had been able to get her off the corner back then.

"I know." She gave him a half-smile like she had the first time they met. "You know what? Sometimes; even now that I don't have to, I will buy some ramen and eat it just to smile and remember you." Neither of them said much of anything for the rest of the trip to the arena. When they arrived, he got her tickets and her backstage pass. He had a little bit of time; so he showed her a few places. She loved how his face lit up as he talked about what he was showing her.

"Alright; I have to go get ready for the show, so go get your seat and I'll show you around the rest of this place once the show is over." Dean hugged her.

"Sounds good Dean, good luck in your match tonight." She hugged him back and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

Lauren was a bit overdressed for the WWE Live event; especially since the people surrounding her on all sides were in t-shirts and jeans, but she was not self-conscious. Years of working as a prostitute had taught her not to care what other people thought of her. She had never wanted to be a prostitute; in fact when she was 5 she told her parents she wanted to be zoo keeper, so she could play with the animals anytime she wanted. Now that she thought about it; running an escort service in New York City was sometimes like being a zoo keeper. She constantly had to deal with petty bickering; jealousy and back-stabbing with her girls. She wouldn't have changed a thing though; the girls that worked for her were treated very well. She even provided medical and dental insurance for them; the only thing she asked in return is that they stay away from drugs, get tested for diseases every month and treat the clients with respect. As far as clients go; she did through background checks on them, she had clear rules of conduct for her clients; the most important was no abusing the girls. Money was collected via credit card; before the girls even went to meet the client, ensuring that the girls always got paid and making sure no one got ripped off. She had only had to fire two girls since she started running the service and four clients.

Her thoughts went back to the show as soon as the pyro went off. Her seat was front row on the left side of the ring. Someone's music started blaring and the crowd went crazy. Lauren decided this must be a very popular wrestler, based on the reaction. She looked towards the ramp and grinned as she watched her first love walk down the ramp; looking a bit crazed. His hair was no longer slicked back; it was wet and was going in all directions. As he got closer to her she got a better look at what he was wearing. She definitely approved of the tight white tank top that showed off his muscles; and the really nice fitting blue jeans, that were just tight enough to hug his legs and display his amazing butt. He had obviously worked very hard on his body since she knew him as a teenager. As he walked by her he gave her a subtle wink and he entered the ring. She watched as he paced back and forth; displayed some rather erratic behavior. "Just wait until he gets the mic. He is amazing on the mic!" a male fan beside her notified her. She smiled and nodded to the man. He was not wrong. When Dean started talking it was almost hypnotic. She couldn't take her eyes off him. He was talking about an opponent; some man named Seth, clearly Dean did not like this guy. Hate wouldn't have been too strong a word. He was rambling on about being stabbed in the back; and all the things he was going to do to this guy when he got ahold of him. Lauren would have hated to be this Seth guy; but she was seriously thinking that she might need to hire Dean as security for her escort service. Lauren spotted him doing a movement she had seen him do many times after incidents with his mother; he was tapping his fingers against his collarbone. She thought it was interesting he had incorporated that into his character; it was also possible he didn't realize he was even doing it. She was totally in awe of him in the ring. The crowd was absolutely behind him all the way, cheering for him. He dropped the mic in the middle of the ring and walked back up the ramp.

Later in the show another person's music blared; the crowd instantly booed the man. He was in rather odd, latex looking suit and was carrying a garish gold and green briefcase. This man had longer, brown hair, but had and one side bleached blond. There were a bunch of guys following him. He got into the ring and the crowd was shouting, "You Sold Out" at him. Lauren was quickly able to guess he was a 'Bad Guy'. He got on the mic and lectured the crowd about how he did sell out and how all of them wished they could be him. She looked over at the guy who had told her about Dean earlier.

"Who is that guy? He seems like a real douchebag." Lauren said to him quietly. The man laughed at her comment.

"He is an absolute Douchebag! That's Seth Rollins. New wrestling fan huh?" He asked her.

"Yes, this is my first time at a show. So he's the Seth that Dean Ambrose was so angry at earlier?" She asked.

"Oh yeah! See Dean, Seth and Roman Reigns were a group; they called themselves 'The Shield'. They were best friends, and then Seth turned on them; knocked them both out with a steel chair. So now Dean and Roman both want to hurt Seth." The guy explained. Lauren thanked him and said she could understand why they would be upset with Seth.

She didn't know this Seth guy; but even she wanted to climb into the ring and beat him. She settled for glaring at him, which at one point, she was pretty sure he saw. She enjoyed the rest of the show, even the part when the two obnoxiously snobby owners came out and were really playing up the stereotype of rich people. Once the show was over and people started clearing out of the arena; Lauren stayed behind, thinking it would make it easier for Dean to find her. Suddenly an arm wrapped around her from behind. "Hey! Did you enjoy your first show?" The familiar raspy voice asked. She chuckled and turned around.

"I did, a lot actually. I think I may have been converted into a fan. Your match was nerve-wrecking for me. When that guy grabbed you by your feet and started swinging you around in a circle I nearly had a heart attack; I seriously thought you were going to be hurt. You know what I was amazed by more than that? You, when you were out here talking about that guy Seth. You're amazing on the mic! I couldn't take my eyes off you!" She said excitedly.

Dean pulled her closer to him. "Is that right? Couldn't take your eyes off me huh? I have that effect on women." He grinned

"Oh; like you're the first guy I've ever heard brag about how hot he is, I mean really." Lauren winked at him. They looked at each other for several minutes before he leaned down and kissed her. Lauren wasted no time returning the kiss. Neither of them could deny the familiar spark that reappeared like it had never been missing. Dean pulled back first and was speechless for several minutes. Lauren blushed furiously like she was some school girl. "I think you're supposed to be giving me a tour, Mr. Ambrose."

"Mmmm….I loved the way you just said that. 'Mr. Ambrose' I'd love to hear you say that again in a different setting. I do owe you a tour, come on, I'll show you around and introduce you to some people." Dean slid his arm around her waist and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean led Lauren backstage, "Some of the guys might be in catering grabbing some food after the show." He and Lauren walked into the catering area. "Lauren, let me introduce you to Cesaro. Cesaro; this is my old friend Lauren. She enjoyed our match tonight; but said you scared her to death doing the Cesaro Swing on me." Dean laughed. Cesaro stood up and shook Lauren's hand.

"A great move to watch isn't it? No fears though, I haven't dropped or injured anyone yet. This guy here can take it." He slapped Dean's back with a smile. "It's nice to meet you Lauren; but I have to ask, how does someone so beautiful end up with him as a friend?" His grin let Lauren know he was joking.

"Oh; I felt sorry for him, everyone deserves a friend." She grinned. Cesaro laughed.

"Uh Dean; I don't mean to ruin our fun here, but a certain blond just walked in and she is shooting daggers at your friend." Cesaro made a quick exit. Dean looked behind him and saw Renee glaring.

"Awww…shit! I apologize in advance; this woman is about to make a scene, I guarantee it." Dean dragged his free hand through his hair.

"Ex-girlfriend?" Lauren asked as she turned to look at the blond woman walking towards them.

"No, crazy ex-fling; only had sex with her a few times and she blew it up into a full blown relationship. She doesn't seem to get the hint." Dean said. Renee approached looking at Lauren with a sour face.

"Who's this Dean? Is she the whore you're sleeping around on me with?" Renee hissed out. Dean made a step forward; but Lauren put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Actually; I'm the whore he was sleeping with long before he ever met you. Now, I'm the former whore who is catching up with her friend. Now, why don't you run along and pretend to be classy." Lauren said straight-faced. Renee's hand went up and she attempted to slap Lauren. Unfortunately for Renee, Lauren caught the hand. Things only got worse for Renee at that moment, as she was making her swing; Stephanie McMahon was turning the corner and saw the whole thing.

"What's going on here?" Stephanie asked.

"Stephanie, this is my old friend Lauren. She is the one who won that charity auction I was in." Dean said.

Stephanie held out her hand and shook with Lauren. "Congratulations on the winning bid; I heard it was a big one." Stephanie glared at Renee.

"It was a good size bid; but it was for a good charity, and I haven't seen Dean since I was like 17. It was worth it to get a chance to catch up with him and see him achieving his dream." Lauren smiled.

"Renee; I need to see you in my office, Right now please!" Stephanie shook Lauren's hand again. "Very nice to meet you Lauren and congratulations again, please excuse me." Stephanie went down the hall with a scolded Renee following her. Dean looked over at Lauren.

"I don't like hearing you refer to yourself like that Lauren." Dean frowned.

"Dean, she was the one to refer to me as a whore. I was though; sure it wasn't what I wanted to be doing, but I did it. I use to be a whore, now you can call it whatever you like; prostitute, street walker or lady of the night. It's still a whore. I slept with guys to make money. I'm not ashamed of it anymore. So if she wants to call me one; I'll admit to it. Besides, it knocked some wind out of her sails. It was better than you putting your hands on her, even if it was to just push her. Now; how about more of that tour?" Lauren smiled.

"Alright, I want to introduce you to my closest friends. They are probably getting packed up in our locker room. Come on." Dean walked with her down the hallway. They stop in front of a door. "Let me just go in and make sure they are decent." Dean walked in and then poked his head back out. "Come on in." Lauren followed him into the room and saw the two men on the couch. One of them was Seth; the other was a large Samoan man. "Lauren, I'd like you to meet Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. They are my two closest friends. Guys meet Lauren; she was the winning bidder at the auction. She is also my closest friend from my teen years."

"Wait; he's your friend? You hate him, I don't know him and even I hate him." The three men start laughing.

"Well then I'm doing a good job then; I'm supposed to be the bad guy. You are supposed to hate me. So, thanks for hating me." He laughed. "Honestly, I'm a good guy. I put up with Ambrose over there. Must be you're a good person to because you've known him for so long. How did you two meet?" Seth asked innocently.

Dean looked slightly disturbed by the question. Lauren didn't miss a beat. "Dean's mother introduced us." She smiled and left it at that; it answered the question but didn't go into too many personal matters. "From that point on we would talk all the time and keep each other company. We both needed a friend." She sat down next to Dean on the couch. "So how did all three of you meet?"

"I met Dean in the independent circuit; he and I had a couple of brutal matches. I liked him, he was crazy as hell." Seth said. "He and I ended up getting called by the WWE around the same time and ended up in Florida together. It was great having someone I already knew there. I knew he wanted it as much as I did to. Roman was in Florida also and the three of us just hit it off. "

"Florida was just not a good place at the time. We were like the redheaded step-children of the WWE. We were part of the brand; but the guys on the two big shows had better equipment; we were training in a crappy little gym, I think everyone was just trying to get out of there as soon as we could. It's better down there now. So the three of us teamed up and just said, here we are, let us in the door or we'll break it down. They decided it was better to let us in." Dean smiled.

"That sounds like something you would do. I always knew that as soon as you had it in your head, you'd make it happen. I'm glad you did and that you made some more friends along the way."

"So you actually paid $10,000 just to hang out with Dean here?" Roman asked with a smile.

"I did, as soon as I saw who it was I bid double the current bid. I really just wanted to see him again; catch up. It's been 13 years since we have seen each other. Besides, he looked miserable up there." Lauren laughed with the other two men. Dean rolled his eyes at them.

"I wasn't miserable; I was…ok I was miserable. I just don't like being on display like that. It makes me uncomfortable." Dean muttered. Lauren noticed a look that probably his two friends had missed. She knew why he preferred not to be the center of attention. It wasn't good to be noticed where they had grown up. Some could argue that every time he stepped in the ring, he was the center of attention; but there was always one other person in there to take part of the attention off him. Lauren had been the same way for a long time. It was only now, as she got older and more confident that it didn't bother her as much.

"Dean; I hate to tear you away from your friends, but I was hoping we might go for drinks or a coffee." Lauren said in hopes of giving him a way out of being uncomfortable.

"Of course, that sounds good actually. I'll see you two later." Dean said to his friends.

Lauren smiled at the two men, "It was very nice to meet you both. Seth, I don't hate you anymore." She grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean and Lauren headed to his truck, when he stopped for a moment. "Thank you for making an excuse to leave; I didn't want to have to explain about why don't feel comfortable being the center of attention." Lauren stopped with him.

"You don't need to thank me; I care about you, so I would do anything for you. So…where should we go?" She smiled. She wanted to say so much more; she just wasn't sure he would want to hear it. She saw her first love secretly drowning in past; and all she wanted to do was throw the life preserver out to him.

"Well, I know a little dive bar downtown; or maybe your place?" Dean looked at her for her thoughts. Part of him suggested her place because he wanted to feel her again and remember what that was like. The other part of him wanted to go there so they could talk; he needed to talk, he needed to share that dark side of him that he hid so carefully from everyone. The dark side only she would understand.

"Let me show you my place; I don't feel like drinking tonight. You drive and I'll give you directions. Dean; I want to talk to you, like we did years ago. Let's pick up some food somewhere and just talk all night until we both fall asleep." She smiled. "Can we do that?"

Dean smiled back at her, "yeah, we can do that; I think I'd like that. I remember what that was like. I've missed you." They stopped and picked up a pizza and Lauren directed him to her penthouse. She entered her security code into the keypad at the front door and let them into the building. She greeted the security guard sitting behind his desk. They headed for the elevator and she used her key to access her floor. "Wow! A lot of security in this place huh?" Dean was amazed; he thought his alarm system in Las Vegas was high tech security, this put it that to shame.

"It's the reason I decided on this building. What I do for a living now; it's better than hooking, but there are still dangers involved. There's always someone looking to be at the top of the mountain; or looking to get a piece of the pie, so to speak. It's just a different breed of predator; they aren't the Anton's, they are bigger and more powerful. So I protect myself as much as I can." She answered as they arrived at her floor; she owned the entire floor and it was incredibly well decorated and furnished. "So this is my home, welcome." She grinned.

"This is…Wow Lauren. It suits you though; when I think of you, this is the kind of place you belong. I never felt you belonged where you were. I guess that's how you must have felt tonight when you saw me in the ring huh?" Dean looked at her.

"I suppose it is; I knew you loved wrestling and you wanted to do it. So when I saw you doing it tonight and being with such a big promotion. You do belong there, Dean. Dean you are talented; you worked hard. You deserve this! After the auction; I came back here and 'Googled' you." Lauren laughed. "Can you believe that you are on Google? I was looking at pictures of you. Do you realize that when you're with a fan and taking a picture; that you look like you are trying really hard to look happy? I mean you do this grin and thumbs up; but it never quite reaches your eyes. When you're doing a photo shoot for wrestling though; all that joy is there." Lauren sat down and motioned him over to the couch.

"It's just weird; having people come up to you and think they know you. Then there are times when it feels really good. We just did our big 'Tribute to the Troops' show; we got to go and meet the soldiers and their families. At one point; I was helping this one family put their Christmas tree onto their car and tie it down. I didn't feel awkward doing that; I felt like myself, comfortable. I knew how much it meant to them for us to be there. It made me feel good. When people walk up to me in an airport; I guess I just worry that when they come up to me; I won't be what they want or expect me to be. I don't want to disappoint anyone." Jon sat down next to her.

"Dean; I would imagine that the fans are just happy they even get to have a picture taken with you, they are your fans. Short of telling them to fuck off; I don't think you could disappoint them. Besides; Dean Ambrose is just an exaggerated version of Jon Good, the guy I grew up with. They would think you were just tired or something, if that doesn't work; think of their pictures as being wrestling related. Technically it is; if you didn't have fans, you wouldn't have wrestling. You could always show them the side of you I know; that caring, softer side." Lauren replied.

Dean leaned in towards Lauren and kissed her slowly, as if he was trying to memorize every inch of her mouth. Lauren returned the kiss; remembering the last time they had kissed.

_**11 years ago**_

_Lauren had managed to sneak away from the place Anton referred to as his 'place'. It was a filthy, run-down apartment in an abandoned building. It's where he had the girls who didn't have a place to stay live. It allowed him to keep a closer eye on them; he kept a guard down in the hallway, so none of them could get to the stairway unless Anton sent for one of them to work. Lauren had figured out that the window nearest her room didn't shut completely and it was right near the fire escape, just a quick walk on a ledge to get there. She had gotten good at doing it; then she could go down the fire escape and walk a block over to Jon's apartment building. They could spend a little time together before anyone knew she was missing. Jon knew to meet her in one of the empty apartments they had discovered wasn't locked up. It wasn't anything special; but he had managed to take some towels from the gym without them knowing they were gone and a blanket from his bedroom. She slipped into the apartment and smiled when she saw Jon there. She ran to him and they hugged each other tightly. Jon lifted her face up; though she tried to keep it down. "Lauren, where did you get that black eye?" Jon was pretty sure he knew; but he was angry and wanted to know for sure._

"_It was the same 'john' from last time; at least it's just a black eye this time and not another broken jaw." Lauren shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Anton offered me some coke so it wouldn't hurt as much."_

"_You didn't take it did you?" Jon kept hugging her. _

"_No. Never; I would never take drugs, we've talked about this before. I don't want to get hooked." Lauren looked up at him. "Let's not talk about this anymore; how was the gym today?" Her face brightened up._

"_It was good; learned some new stuff today, they say I'm picking things up quickly. I don't know if I agree; sometimes there is stuff that is really hard, but I love it Lauren. Sometime, they are going to decide I'm ready and I can go to one of the independent circuits; we'll get out of this place." Jon kissed her; he always loved kissing Lauren. Jon loved Lauren period; there was nothing he wanted more than to get them both out of hell and be with her all the time._

_Lauren loved Jon; but she had seen what happened to girls who had tried to leave and Anton found them. He would bring them back and let all his men take turns with them. Lauren had seen him stab one girl to death. She knew there was no way out; but she let Jon talk about it anyways, because the thought was nice. She wished it could be the way he had described it. She just kissed him back, loving the fact that he was always so gentle with her. He kissed her neck and shoulder. Lauren reached up and lifted up his t-shirt over his head. Soon they were under the blanket on the towels, taking comfort in each other's bodies._

Lauren wrapped her arms around Dean's neck and could almost believe that things had turned out just as he had always said they would. He was the only man she knew who had ever not treated her like a hooker. When she started escorting; it was less obvious, the men were businessmen, politicians and others who could afford the high cost. They treated Lauren well, many of them gave her very nice things; but at the end of the day they still expected to get what they wanted in the bedroom and leave happy. Now that she was running the service; they treated her with a lot more respect, after all she now knew their secrets and could easily start telling them. Still, Dean was the only one who had never treated her like anything other than a girlfriend; or at least a friend with benefits. As they kissed he slid her towards him, resting her legs in his lap. He leaned over her and deepened their kiss. She could have easily have gotten lost in this; but something occurred to her. "Dean…wait!" She put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. He looked down at her confused. "I didn't pay all that money expecting you to sleep with me. That's not what this is about."

"Lauren, you spent a lot of…" She cut him off.

"You are Not a whore Dean! I spent the money because I had it to spend and it was going to an excellent children's charity; and you are my friend. I never expected that you would sleep with me. If you want to sleep with me fine; but I did not buy you for sex!" Lauren looked at him horrified.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean hadn't meant for it to sound quite like that; though he couldn't figure out a way to express that to Lauren now. "Lauren, I didn't mean that I thought you expected me to sleep with you because you paid that money." He sighed, knowing that he still wasn't making this better. "When I said, 'You paid all that money'; Aw hell! I'm not making this better am I?" Jon felt like an ass; he was sure Lauren thought that of him right now. "I shouldn't have brought up the money at all; I guess I'm just feeling like dinner and everything wasn't enough, like I'm not holding up my end of the deal." He rested his head back on the sofa.

"Christ; we really are too much alike, you know that don't you? Neither of us feel like we're worth much. Not that you really want to hear a story about my professional life; but I'm going to tell you anyways. I had been escorting for a year; I got set up on a date with a man named Lorenzo. Most of the girls in the service knew him; he had gone through several of them. Some of the girls figured he wouldn't ever have a 'regular' girl. Meaning, he wouldn't request the same girl on a regular basis. Some of the men did that; got attached to one particular girl and would only ask for them. He hadn't done that with any of them. Lorenzo sent a limo to the service to pick me up; then the limo brought me to this restrurant, I'm talking four-star and very expensive. I was so nervous; new clients are always the worst because you don't know anything about them. The driver took me in and brought me to the bar; Lorenzo was already sitting there. When he looked up at me; he just smiled, and it was like the nerves just went away. We had an amazing dinner, he was easy to talk to; so we spent the whole time talking. After dinner was finished; he escorted me back to the limo and he took me back to the service. I honestly thought I had done something wrong; I couldn't figure out why he would drop me back off at the service before taking me somewhere to have sex first. When we got to the doorstep of the service; he handed me $12,000, to give you an idea that is about what the clients would pay for the evening if they included a tip for us. I was shocked! I told him I couldn't possibly take that much money just for eating a meal with him. You know what he said back to me?" Dean shook his head 'No'. "He smiled, looked me in the eye and said 'You are beautiful, clearly intelligent, a wonderful conversationalist and you had every man in the restrurant jealous that they weren't me. In my opinion; I'm getting off cheap by paying you $12,000, You are worth a lot more than that. However, no one will ever give you what you're worth; if you yourself think you're worth less than you are.' Two days later; he called the service again, he asked for me. He was seeing me twice, sometimes three times a week; depending on his work schedule. It was two months before he asked if I would sleep with him. He asked me; he didn't expect or demand it. He was constantly paying me more than any of the other clients did; bought me just amazing gifts. Each time I would try to argue with him about him giving me things or paying too much. He just kept repeating what he had told me that first date. He was the client who made me realize that I didn't have to be that hooker anymore; I deserved better and could expect to be treated better , because I was worth it. Guess what? So are you. I would have paid double or triple what I did to get to spend this time with you. You having been my only safety when we were growing up; I never would be able to spend enough to repay you for that. You held up 'your end' long ago; I'm just a little slow to pay you back for it." Lauren grinned.

"So what happened to that guy; Lorenzo?" Dean asked her curiously.

"Lorenzo? Well, Lorenzo is my ex-husband." Lauren chuckled. "After Elaine gave me the service; he proposed to me. He had planned to do it regardless; he was going to ask me to quit the service and marry him, and he would just 'take care of me'. When I took over the service; he didn't have to anymore, I could take care of myself. We got married; the only problem we had was that both of our businesses kept us way too busy to spend enough time together. He was always travelling on business or I was travelling for business. Two years of doing that and we agreed that it wasn't working. We are still very good friends, we talk occasionally; the divorce wasn't a bitter one. In fact, as usual he was probably way too generous to me. I imagine his lawyers must have had a coronary when he told them what he was giving me. I know my lawyers couldn't believe it. We both wish each other nothing but good things; who knows, if he ever marries again, I would probably go to their wedding." Lauren smiled.

"Wow! So he is ok with you moving on to? I mean it sounds like things didn't end because there was any big issue; other than being apart so much." Dean said.

"That was it; just being apart so much ended things, however it was mutual. We both understood that the other had goals and ambitions. I honestly think, he was just so proud that I was finally seeing that I could in fact, want things for myself; that he would have hated himself if I stopped doing that for him." Lauren said. "If you're wondering if the two of us would ever get back together; we wouldn't. He is a wonderful person; but he's not the person I see myself with." Lauren answered before the question could be asked.

"Who do you see yourself with; well I mean, what type of person do you see yourself with?" Dean suddenly felt a little flustered, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Well; it would have to be someone who understood the business I run and wouldn't judge me for that or my past. He would have to have a career of his own; a man who had a soft side, but could also handle himself if he needed to. Someone who would love every part of me and want to be with me to." Lauren said grinning.

"That sounds like quite a guy. I wonder if you'll find a man like that." Dean responded.

Lauren smiled at him; moved to straddle his lap, "Oh…I think I found that man a long time ago." She leaned in and kissed him. Dean returning her kiss, placing one of his hands on her back. He wrapped her other arm around his neck and stood up off the sofa; Lauren wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Bedroom?" He managed to pant out, as he started walking down the first hallway he spotted.

"Third door on the right" she answered while kissing his neck. Dean carried her into her bedroom and lay her down on the bed. Lauren chuckled at the expression on his face; clearly he wasn't used to such a large bed, and satin sheets. "We've come a long way from towels on the floor and a blanket, haven't we?"

"I guess so; though I have to admit, I have never slept in a bed this size and I definitely don't have satin sheets on my bed." He laughed. The two of them helped each other out of their clothes. Dean and Lauren picked up where they had left off all those years ago. It was like no time had passed at all; except for the fact that both of them had become much better in bed and had a lot more life experience behind them. Lauren and Dean lay in each other's arms and held each other. "Are you sure you want to deal with me travelling so much?" Dean asked her as he kissed her bare shoulders.

"I have a good team in place; it frees me up to do some travelling, obviously I couldn't travel with you all the time. I could get away sometimes though to see you on the road. Are you going to feel comfortable if your friends, bosses and co-workers found out what I did for a living? I can't be with someone who will be ashamed or embarrassed by me." Lauren asked.

"I honestly don't care what anyone thinks of you. Will they think it's scandalous or a big deal; maybe, but we can deal with that together. You know I've never thought poorly of you because of what you did; that hasn't changed, I mean I guess I'm glad you aren't still sleeping with other men. However, I've never looked down on you. The only thing I ever wanted was to get you out of that god awful place."

"We both got out and now maybe I'll get to see what it's like to live that life you always talked about. The two of us together, out of that place." Lauren kissed Dean passionately.


	6. Chapter 6

Lauren awoke the next morning to the feeling of muscular arms wrapped around her. She had a real sense of contentment and safety that she hadn't had in quite a while; it made her smile. Lauren laid there inhaling the scent of his cologne; she realized that she must have fallen asleep cuddled in close to his side with her head on his chest. Her peacefulness was quickly snagged away from her when her phone rang. She reached over his arm with a chuckle to grab it. "Hello?" Lauren answered.

"Good morning Ms. Anderson; sorry if I woke you, I wanted you to know that I spoke with Mr. Perry this morning. He says that he is not comfortable with Okaying the background check. What would you like me to do?" Juliette, Lauren's personal assistant asked.

"Please call Mr. Perry back for me; inform him that it is routine for us to do a background check on our prospective clients, emphasize that it is for the safety of our girls and that it's non-negotiable. If he still insists on not signing the background check consent; you may tell him that I said that regrettably we would not take him on as a client. He is a businessman, Juliette; they are used to negotiating their way through things. My guess is; if he knows it's a background check or not becoming a client of ours, that he will chose the background check. If not, it is his loss and clearly he was afraid of something that might come up on the background check; in which case we definitely don't want him as a client. Oh; and please cancel any meetings I might have, I'm feeling a little under the weather. Thank you Juliette." Lauren instructed.

"Yes, Ms. Anderson; I will start on both of those things right now. I hope you feel better." Juliette replied before ending the call to her boss. Lauren reached again and put the phone down.

"You're not feeling well?" Asked a groggy, raspy voice beside her; Lauren settled back down beside him.

"Actually; I feel wonderful." Lauren smiled. "I just wanted to come up with an excuse so that I could spend all day in bed with you; unless you have previous plans."

"I have the premiere of the movie I am in tonight; but nothing for the rest of the daytime hours. Hey! Why don't you come tonight? I'm not so good at those red carpet things; if the press had someone better looking than me, maybe they would forget I was there." Dean smiled.

"I hate to point this out; but, you are very hard to ignore." Lauren chuckled at him. "I would be happy to be your guest for the premiere though. I'm very impressed that you're in a movie."

"So you make your clients go through a background check before you take them on?" Dean propped up on his side so he could look at her.

"Oh yes; a very through one; financial check and criminal check. I also run a criminal check on all of the girls I hire. It protects everyone. I don't want some guy with a history of being abusive near my girls and I don't girls who are looking to con or blackmail any of my clients. No check; No entry, it's that simple. Men try to get out of it all the time; though usually if they are told they won't be allowed to join the service, they quickly change their minds. There will also be a few who stick to their convictions, as far as I'm concerned that is a flashing warning sign that it's just as well we don't deal with them." Lauren answered.

"So if I wanted to become a client; would you make me do the background check?" Dean asked with a grin.

"Yes, even you I would make do a background check. If I made an exception for you; I'd have to make one for everyone. Why were you considering becoming a client?" Lauren chuckled.

"Nah; I wouldn't want you to be jealous, beautiful." Jon answered.

"Mmmm…True. I do hate sharing things with others. Plus, I'd hate to have to fire one of my girls over that." Lauren smiled. "I'll have to take you to my office sometime, the difference between my office and Anton's 'office' is completely night and day!"

"I can imagine it is; I'd like to see that. Let me ask you a question." Dean asked. "The charity that did the auction; do they know what you do for a living, I ask out of curiosity. I would think charities might not want money coming from something like that."

"Yes, most of the charities I give money to know me and what I do for a living. You'd be surprised how their opinions of me change when I write out a big, fat check. I imagine though that there are people at the events who find me being there an offense. My thought is that my money is as green as everyone else's and if you can't use my money, I can find a group who will. I had a woman come up to me one time at an event and make a scene; as it turns out, her husband was one of my clients. I informed her quietly that it was an issue between her husband and herself. I don't recruit clients; they come to me. I did offer to tell her what her husband liked in the bedroom; she declined and got very quiet after that." Lauren chuckled.

"Ouch! I bet she did get quiet after that. You're a vicious one aren't you, Lauren?" Dean laughed.

"I have claws like most women; don't get in my face unless you're ready to have mine in yours. I learned not to let anyone mess with me from someone I grew up with." She gave Dean a sly grin. She gave him a gentle push so he was on his back again and put her head on his chest.

"Do I make a good pillow?" Dean asked humorously while wrapping his arms back around her and kissing her bare shoulder.

"You make a fantastic pillow, and when you talk I can feel the vibration in your chest. You know; I had a thought last night, that blond woman. You know your fling that you led on." She laughed but didn't look up at him. "She is not going to be a happy camper about this; I predict right now that it will be her who tells the entire world what I do. She looks like one of the sneaky, vindictive women." Lauren now took a peak up at him; though she already knew he was glaring at her for the 'led on' comment. She pouted at him and then laughed.

"You are such a brat kid; always have been." He shook his head and grinned.

"Oh Dean…I am your all-time favorite brat and I'm not much of a kid; you're only a few years older than I am. Gramps!" Lauren smiled. "You know what else? You being an actor in a movie is perfect! Actors always get caught with the escorts; you are half-way to fitting right into Hollywood!" She grinned.

"Well I doubt I'll be winning any awards for this movie; but at least I'll have the sexiest woman on the red carpet next to me. Robert Downey Jr. eat your heart out!" Dean laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean was getting fidgety in the living room of Lauren's penthouse; it was bad enough he had to put on another monkey suit for this premiere, but now he was suffering through that age old problem men always found themselves in – waiting on a woman. Not just any woman though; if she had been just another random hook-up, he would have been mumbling obscenities already. Lauren however was not a random woman; she was the woman who had stolen his heart long before he knew it could be stolen. He couldn't believe the change in her; she had gone from scared 14 year old girl to a confident, independent and beautiful woman. A noise from above where he was standing caused Dean to look to the top of the stairs; there stood Lauren, her long, black hair flowing down over one shoulder. As Dean continued to take in the sight of her his mouth fell open; she had picked a ruby red satin dress, which had beading down the front until just below the knees and then the satin blossomed out into an elegant pool around her feet. She smiled down at him and took ahold of the dress so she could make her way down the stairs; he noticed the matching ruby colored heels, there was no way anyone would be looking at him this evening. She was breathtaking; he couldn't even form words. "Is everything ok?" Lauren looked at him staring at her and suddenly felt self-conscious. "Do you not like the dress? I could quickly change into something else." Before she could say another word; Dean silenced her with a scorching kiss.

"Don't you dare change!" Dean said as he pulled his lips away from hers. "You are beautiful; in fact, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!" He watched as the red appeared in her cheeks; almost the same color as her dress. He offered her his arm; although he had only seen it done in movies, and smiled as she wrapped her arm around his. They made their way downstairs where the limo that the company had sent waited for them. Dean looked around the inside of the limo; it was the first time he had actually been inside one of these things.

"You look very handsome tonight Dean." Lauren said smiling. "I think we make a pretty good looking pair; us two street kids, we clean up good." She kissed him and took his hand in hers. "Hey! Smile and relax. For once; let me take care of you, I'm good at these types of things." She gripped his hand. "So here's what usually happens; you'll probably be stopped a few times so media can take your picture, think of it like a photo shoot for the WWE. Then you'll probably be stopped a few times for short interviews; they'll be quick ones, usually like one or two questions. Generally, something like did you enjoy making the movie, what was it like working with the other cast and the director and sometimes they throw something like how do you think wrestling prepared you for acting? All you have to do answer the questions and smile. You'll be fine and I'll be right behind you." He nodded to her and squeezed her hand.

Once they arrived the driver opened the door for them and the cameras started flashing; they were like a blinding mass of lights. Dean got out of the limo and reached his hand out for Lauren's. She took his hand and smiled at him. One of the WWE media people that Jon recognized came up to them. "You look great Dean! I'm going to walk down with you and handle who gets to interview you ok? I promise to get you down the carpet without too many bruises!" The man smiled. Dean looked horrified for a moment; until Lauren whispered in his ear that the man was joking with him. The first interview went well and right before they let Jon go, they asked who his date was wearing. Dean looked mystified; Lauren took his arm.

"I'm wearing Versace; you know men, most of them have no clue about fashion. It's why they keep us women around." Lauren smiled and the interviewer chuckled. She kissed Dean's cheek and he whispered a faint 'Thank you' to her. "I told you; I'll take care of you." She whispered and smiled. Once they entered the theatre; Jon finally took a deep breath and she felt his body relax. "Nicely done; Mr. Movie Star!" Lauren hugged him and they kissed; out of the corner of her eye she spotted the angry blonde from the other day, it was clear she was fuming but behaving in the public venue. She reached up and adjusted his tie. "Shall we go enjoy your first movie; Mr. Good?"

"I think after all that out there; I could use to sit quietly for a while, besides I will dazzle you with my superior acting skills." Dean grinned at her as they walked into the darkened room. Two and a half hours later the lights came up. The crowd in the theatre seemed to really enjoy the film; and Lauren definitely had enjoyed it. "Well; think they'll ask me to do anymore movies or should I stick to my day job?" Dean asked with a smile.

"I loved it! You were great Dean; I'm so proud of you! Who would have guessed when we were kids that you'd be in a movie. May I just say; you can arrest me anytime you'd like officer, as long as you promise to frisk and cuff me!" She grinned and winked at him. His devilish grin appeared as he pulled her closer to him.

"I have received reports of some rather questionable activities at your address; I think I better take you back there and interrogate you. It may take a very long time; maybe all night, since I don't intend to leave until you confess!" He whispered in her ear; sending goose bumps down her back.

"Well officer; that will take a very long time, I never confess to anything!" Lauren took his arm and they headed for the limo; a full fun of roleplaying ahead of them back at her place. Once in the limo, Lauren's cell phone rang; it was Juliette. "Good evening Juliette, is everything alright?" She listened to her assistant on the other end of the phone. "Alright; is Jackson taking care of it?" She listened again. "I see; I am on my way there now, please call Jackson and have him end the date with my apologies. He can let the client know that I will absolutely take care of him. I don't want any of the other girls going out tonight; thank you Juliette." Lauren looked over at Dean. "Mind if we make a side trip?"

"Is everything ok? That sounded pretty serious; should we call the police or something?" Dean asked her concerned. Lauren shook her head no.

"This is something that can be handled internally, Jackson, my head of security was providing security for one of the girls on a date; he's on his way to the office as well. I think it's something that will be easily diffused once I'm in the building; you're welcome to come in with me if you're worried." Lauren looked at her boyfriend.

"Yeah; I think I'm going to do that, not that I don't trust your judgment but if something happens and that Jackson guy hasn't made it back in time I might be able to help. I'd feel better about you being in the middle of something if I was there." Dean looked at her grimly. A few minutes later they pulled up in front of a building that looked like it could have been a luxury hotel. When they entered the building, Lauren went to the desk where Juliette sat looking concerned; Dean was right behind her.

"Has Jackson made it back yet, Juliette?" She asked the pretty redhead at the desk.

"Not yet Ms. Anderson; He is on his way, the girls that were still here are in their rooms. I instructed them to lock their doors just as a precaution and currently he's in your office. Good news; I haven't heard anything being thrown in there for a few moments, maybe he has calmed down." She answered, briefly looking at the man behind her boss.

Lauren reached over and hit the intercom button to her office. "Ian. This is Lauren; I'm quite surprised by this sudden outburst of yours. Surely; there is a better way to handle things, I'm going to come into the office and we can discuss whatever issue there is." She said calmly; like she was speaking to a child throwing a temper-tantrum. She looked at Juliette, "As soon as Jackson arrives; send him into the office please." With that last instruction; she removed her jacket and headed into her office, Dean following very closely behind. A man was sitting in the chair across from her desk; his gray hair was cut extremely short, but that was the only part of the man Dean could see from the doorway. Looking around the office; it was clear that the man, before settling in the chair had set out to destroy it. Papers everywhere; glass broken in spots on the floor. Lauren set her jacket down on the leather couch behind the man and carefully made her way through the mess to her desk. Looking around at the damage in her inner sanctum before sitting down in her desk chair; Dean stayed behind the man, but close in case he needed to protect Lauren. "Ian. Really? Did you need to go into a rampage in my office? I truly expected better from a businessman like you."

The man shifted in his chair, "Lauren; I do not enjoy being made to look like a fool, especially in front of the other members of the cause! You are lucky that lying whore didn't get sent back to you in pieces. I had considered it." He threatened in his thick Irish brogue.

"Ian; I'm afraid you are going to have to fill me in on what exactly Bridgette did, or is being accused of doing. I was not made aware there were any issues going on; and please don't make your threats here. Your cause means very little to me other than the fact you position in it pays for your membership to this service. I've made it very clear on numerous occasions that I do not play politics."

"What happened is that you're sweet Bridgette was telling another competitor any information about my business she happened learn from me during our times together."

Lauren shook her head. "Now Ian; what would Bridgette stand to gain by doing something like that, you have always been more than generous to her in many ways. In fact; she just telephoned me from Dublin the day before yesterday, saying just how happy she was. She told me you and her son had hit it off almost instantly and he had asked her when he might start sounding like you. She certainly did not sound like a woman who was looking to hurt you or your business in any way." She said calmly.

"Lauren; I'm telling you, the information I got from a trusted source says she was selling me out! Are you calling me a liar?" Ian's voice rose again.

"I am not saying you're a liar; I'm just trying to understand how there are two stories that are so starkly different from one another. I assure you; I take this very seriously, if what you are saying is true than Bridgette has not only affected your business but mine as well. You know very well that I screen my ladies very well; they sign confidentiality agreements so secure, they make any that the federal government use look like jokes. If she did what she's being accused of; she has broken those agreements and I assure you, the penalties for doing that are more serious than her just losing her job. I as well; have a business to run Ian, and if the story you're telling me is true and it gets out I'm ruined." Lauren leaned forward in her chair.

"How do we resolve this issue, Lauren?" Ian asked.

"This is what I propose; clearly these claims need to be verified for both of our satisfactions. Let me send Jackson with you back to Dublin. You know him; to my knowledge you trusted him enough to allow him to act as your bodyguard during that incident two years ago. I trust him with my own life; I know that he will do a very thorough job investigating this claim, have him and one of your men work together. It will ensure that you are satisfied that Jackson isn't just giving you an answer in order to serve my needs solely. If they find out she is guilty; you and I will discuss what should follow. However, if it's proven that Bridgette is innocent; well. You will not only owe poor Bridgette a very large apology; since I truly believe she feels very strongly towards you, but you will owe me an extremely large apology. Does this sound like an adequate place to start?"

The man shifted in his chair again, "Yes; I agree that this is an adequate place to start."

"Then let's shake like business people on it and go from there." She reached out her hand and he shook it. "Oh! Ian dear; one more thing, about this damage to my office, I will be sending you a bill for the repairs and also for one third of the money I'll be forced to return to the poor clients who did not get to see their companions tonight; due to your rampage. I trust that based on our previous good will and business relationship; this won't be something I'll need seek legal avenues to get that payment." Lauren said forcefully. Just then, her office door opened and a large man that reminded Dean of Brock Lesnar came into the room.

"What the hell!? Lauren are you ok? Do I need help Mr. Boyle to the door?" Jackson asked.

"Everything has been resolved Jackson. Ian is going to take care of the damage he caused. However; apparently there is an issue with Bridgette potentially breaking contracts. I'm going to need you to return to Dublin with Ian and help one of his people look into these claims. I would also appreciate you checking on Bridgette and little Danny to make sure Ian didn't also break any contracts. I'm sure this won't be an issue for Ian." She tilted her head; almost daring him to challenge her. Ian nodded that it was fine. "I want to be kept aware of what is going on regularly; is that clear Jackson?"

"Yes ma'am. I will call you as soon as I've seen Bridgette and Danny; then update you daily after that. Mr. Boyle; shall we head to the airport?" He made sure to follow the man out of the room. Ian briefly made eye contact with Dean on his way out.

"Lauren; I do apologize for my outburst, as soon as you let me know what I owe, I'll be certain to send you the money." He said to her before leaving her office completely. Lauren stood up and for the first time showed any nerves she may have had about the encounter. Dean quickly walked over to her and held her tightly.

"What was that guy's deal? What was all of that about a cause and politics? Is he some Irish diplomat or something?" Dean asked her.

"Ian? No; Ian is the current leader of the IRA. He also has some potentially questionable dealings with arms sales." Lauren answered.

"Wait. Arms sales like guns and weapons? Jesus Christ Lauren! I thought you ran background checks on these guys?" Dean was shocked.

"Yes, like guns and weapons. I do background check them and he passed a very rigorous one. The truth is he has never been convicted of any crimes; even internationally, he has never harmed any of the ladies he has been with in the past and until this evening I was under the impression he might be considering proposing to Bridgette. We'll have to see how this all works out." Lauren sighed.

"He threatened to send her back here in pieces." Dean pointed out.

"Dean, he is just a man who is upset that the woman he trusted with all his being may have used him. I know Ian; He never would have actually done anything like that to Bridgette. I know this because he watched his mother murdered in front of him when he was a young man. He wouldn't hurt a woman." She hugged Dean tightly and kissed him. "Now; I believe I was being brought in for questioning?"


	8. Chapter 8

After the incident at the service was handled; Lauren and Dean returned to their limo and went back to her penthouse. Lauren poured them each a drink; handing Dean his glass. "So officer to what do I owe this visit?" She grinned at him.

"Well Ms. Anderson; we've received some information that you might be involved in an escort service. As you know; escorting is against the law, ma'am. So let's have a discussion about these charges."

Lauren smiled, "Officer; do I look like an escort to you? Where am I supposedly running this escort service out of, my penthouse? How exactly did you hear about this escort service?"

"This is an ongoing investigating; I'm afraid that I can't discuss the sources of our information. You know; it would probably be a good idea; since I'm here alone that I put you in cuffs, for my safety." Dean went over and cuffed her hands behind her back. "Let's just make sure you aren't carrying any weapons." Dean started to run his hands down over her body; starting at her breasts and working down lower. He took ahold of the bottom of her dress and brought it up as he brought his hands up her legs. Dean rested one hand on her hip and slid one hand up her inner thigh to her panty covered mound. He grinned as he began to toy with her clit through the fabric covering it. As she moaned; he whispered in her ear, "Ms. Anderson you seem to be getting excited!"

Lauren grinned, "Well Officer I can't deny that I enjoy sex; I just don't sell sex for a living. Enjoying sex isn't against the law is it?" She moved her hips against his hand. He pulled her back to his chest and ground his erection into her. "Mmm…Officer! Apparently, you're packing a big weapon of your own. Tell me officer; do you know how to use that big gun?" She purred.

"Oh you wanna see how I use my weapon?" He picked her up by her waist; brought her over to the sofa and pushed her down over the arm of it. He reached for her panties and ripped them off her; pushing her dress up over her hips. He gave her a quick spank on her ass. "You ready for me baby?" He growled. He unzipped and unbuttoned his pants; yanking them down. He nudged her legs apart and thrust into her as she moaned. Lauren let out a loud moan as he slid into her over and over. "Are you ready to confess yet?" He moaned behind her.

"I confess it feels so good, Officer. I'm still not guilty though." Lauren panted. She shivered as one of his hands ran up her back and wrapped itself in her hair. Dean pulled her head back by her hair and kissed her mouth. "Oh god Dean; You feel so good! Harder! Fuck me harder!" Dean began thrusting harder; his hips slamming into her, making her body push forward on the couch.

"Fuck Lauren; I want you to cum for me." Dean moaned. He slid a hand between her and the couch and focused his fingers on her clit. Rubbing it in rhythm with his thrusts; trying to push her towards the edge of the cliff. Her breathing became more erratic, her moans becoming unrecognizable noises and her body started to signal her impending orgasm. He brought her upper body up to his kissing and nibbling at her neck. "That's it Lauren; give yourself to me, let me love you!" He whispered in her ear. He was close to; he knew as soon as her inner muscles clamped down on him, he would orgasm right behind her.

He felt her lose it before she cried out, "DEAN!" Lauren could feel herself shatter into a thousand pieces from the inside out. Dean orgasmed and relaxed into Lauren's back; breathing heavy against the back of her neck.

"God Lauren; there is no woman more perfect for me than you! Lauren, I don't know what it is about you; I've been with other women I know you probably figured that. I…I never felt with them the way I feel when you and I are together." Dean said breathlessly. Lauren managed to maneuver around so that she was sitting on the arm of the couch and facing him. She leaned up and kissed him deeply.

"I know what you're saying Dean; I feel it to." Lauren moaned.

Somewhere else in the city; Renee sat with her laptop, still fuming at the fact that woman showed up at the premiere with Dean. How dare she just suddenly show up and try to steal her man! Renee was not the type of woman to allow that to happen without a fight. Surely there was some kind of dirt on this slut; and she intended to find out what it was. Once she was able to show everyone who this woman really was; Dean wouldn't want anything to do with her and he would realize the woman he really wanted was her! She found an article about the charity event; she scanned through it until she found what she needed. Lauren Anderson. Once she had the name she started working on research about her rival. She clicked on a newspaper article and started reading; it was a rather scathing article about charities who accept donations from people who have questionable business dealings. The author used Lauren as an example:

"_It stunned this reporter to learn that one of the evening's guests; Ms. Lauren Anderson, who wrote a very sizable check to the charity in question, has on several occasions been contacted by the police regarding charges of running a prostitution ring or "escort service". In fairness; to Ms. Anderson, no official charges have ever been filed against her by police. I just find it odd that a charity would take the chance of alienating themselves with normal, law-abiding citizens by accepting money from someone who has had police contact. Surely; there are enough people not being accused by police of wrong doing."_

Renee felt herself doing a little happy dance around her hotel room. The woman really was a whore! Oh wait until Dean found this out; not to mention the company. To find out that one of their superstars had been hanging around and being photographed with a 'Madam' would be a nightmare. Renee's lips turned up in a vengeful grin. She was going to ruin this woman's life; and she deserved it! Renee was just certain that this woman had probably lied to Dean about what she did for a living; he certainly wouldn't have hooked up with her if he knew. She had told Renee that she was an old friend of Dean's. That was it! Clearly Dean must have felt bad for his old friend becoming a prostitute; it was a pity thing, Dean was such a good man he was probably trying to save this sad, pathetic woman. Well; she'd make sure he would no longer feel obligated to this Lauren woman.


	9. Chapter 9

Jon lay on the bed next to Lauren, "That was amazing; we'll have to do that again sometime." He chuckled. Lauren stretched out with a smile. Their roleplaying adventure in the living room had been very exciting; she had enjoyed the slightly more aggressive side of Jon.

"I have to say; I did enjoy that part where you pushed me over the arm of the couch, oh and the parts after that." She smiled. Her thoughts were interrupted when Jon's cell phone buzzed. He had received a text message. He recognized the cell number as Renee's; he sputtered some expletives and opened the message. "That good huh? Ex-Girlfriend?" Lauren laughed.

"That crazy fucking bitch! I swear to god; if she goes through with this, I'll kill her my goddamn self!" Jon roared, throwing his phone across the room. It startled Lauren.

"What is going on Jon?" Lauren put her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me what's happening."

"Renee. She found out somehow what you do for a living; she's saying that if you don't leave me alone, she's going to let the world know." Jon raked his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Lauren; if I had known she was going to be such a psycho I never would have hooked up with her."

"Well; she is a crazy bitch, I'll give her that. Is that all she's got? That she's going to tell everyone that I run an escort service? Does she honestly think that is going to scare me off?" Lauren got off the bed and grabbed Jon's phone. She sent a text back to Renee. "Dear Blondie, I'm not going anywhere. Be careful what you wish for!"

"Lauren, what did you just do? Why would you taunt her; she's going to tell people about you and your service. You could go to jail or prison!" Jon grabbed her by her shoulders, feeling suddenly very anxious.

Lauren smiled at Jon. "Jon; I am extremely well protected, the service is well protected. She can tell anyone, anything she wants. Do you honestly think I haven't had people try and pull this before? Trust me; she has bitten off more than she can chew with me. She's started a game with the woman who wrote the rule book."

"She's going to tell everyone you're a prostitute!" Jon said, grabbing her up in a hug.

"I was a prostitute Jon. I told you I need someone who isn't ashamed of me or what I did; can you deal with what's going to happen? When your bosses or co-workers find out about me; are you going to be able to hold my hand and look people in the eye? If you can't, I understand; but I need to know that now." She looked him in the eye.

"I can deal with whatever comes our way. I love you! Tell me what the plan is to deal with this." Jon kept her in his arms.

"She is going to most likely start where it's easiest for her; your co-workers and bosses. She'll spread the news you're sleeping with me and tell everyone what it is she found out. That will be the challenging part for you; you can't go and shove her around or threaten her. She'll just use that to get you fired or something ridiculous and petty like that. As soon as she realizes that it's not bothering you or I that everyone thinks they know about me. She'll most likely then try going to the media and law enforcement. Law enforcement will toe the line and inform her how many times they have investigated the service and me personally and have never found anything illegal to charge me with." She smiled when Jon looked surprised.

"Why would law enforcement back you up?" Jon asked confused.

"It's simple; the service is a dating service, that's how I set it up when I took it over. The company pays federal and state taxes every year, as do the ladies. The bookkeeping is completely legal and shows that the girls have benefits and taxes taken out of their weekly check. As far as drugs; I have records showing that the service randomly drug tests every month. All my girls are clean. Now; I can't lie, it also helps that the Mayor is a client, the police commissioner, and if she managed to make enough noise; I also have several senators and representatives who are clients. None of them want their personal business aired out in public. She'll no doubt ask where I got the money to take over the business. That is under control as well; I'm willing to publically admit that when I was younger, I ran away from home and in order to survive me did what I needed to do and was a prostitute. However, I also know that Lorenzo will come forward and say he fronted the largest sum of cash, so that his wife at the time could start her own business." Lauren grinned at the awe-struck look on Jon's face.

"Like I said; this is the first time someone has tried this. I should make you aware of something though; so you are prepared for fallout if there is any. If Renee does start this; it is my intent to bury her, figuretively. I intend to do as much damage to her; her job, etc. I'm going to make her life a living hell. She will be very sorry she picked this fight with me; I don't know how many friends she has in your workplace, but it could get chilly there for you." Lauren hugged him.

"If she does this; she deserves anything you do to her! Things are going to get chilly for her around there to." Jon said looking very determined. "I tried to break things to her easy, several times. I tried being blunt with her; thinking she'd get the hint then. The last few times; I've resorted to just saying not interested in being a couple, we aren't a couple and go away. Still in her head; she and I are together! Now she's messing around with a chance to get something back I lost. I'm not going to let that happen."

Back in her hotel room; Renee looked at the return text from Jon's phone and screamed like a banshee. Fine! If this is how she wants it; she could have just walked away, but no! She forwarded the information she had found anonymously to Stephanie and Paul. Being sure to note in the e-mail that this was the woman Jon was screwing. She imagined there would be a meeting in the morning to address that. So much for WWE's PG image; she smiled with satisfaction. Jon would have to come back to her after the company got involved; he wouldn't want to risk his job. She would get what she wanted; and she didn't care about the woman who she would destroy in the process.

The next morning as soon as Jon walked into the backstage area of the arena; one of the production assistants found him and let him know that Stephanie and Paul needed to see him immediately in their temporary office. He went to the locker room he was sharing with Colby and Joe and set his stuff down. Both men were looking at him. "Everything ok man? Stephanie and Paul are looking for you." Joe asked.

"Renee is trying to start problems; I'm going to go see them right now. She really has over-stepped this time and I'm sick of her crazy shit." Jon said irritated before walking out of the room and heading to see his bosses. He knocked on their door and waiting to hear Stephanie say 'Come In'. He poked his head in and she motioned him inside, signaling to a chair.

"Jon; good to see you this morning, thanks for coming to see us." Stephanie said. "Jon we called you in because we received an e-mail last night concerning a woman you're seeing. Normally; we stay out of the personal lives of our employees, however apparently there is some concern about illegal activity. Can you tell us anything about this?" She asked trying to be as sympathetic as she could.

"Nice to see you also Stephanie; Paul, I do not know of any illegal activity that my close childhood friend would be involved in. I can tell you who sent you that e-mail and why she sent it." He said calmly. "Renee sent me this text last night; basically saying that she would show this ridiculous information she found on the internet to everyone, unless Lauren stayed away from me. Renee is crazy. As you can see the text is from last night and it is a threat." He handed his female boss the phone.

"Yes; that certainly appears to clearly be a threat. Out of curiosity Jon; is this the same woman from the charity auction?" Stephanie responded, showing the message to her husband beside her.

"Yes, Lauren and I have been close friends since we were teenagers. She was the one who bid on me at the charity auction; and Steph, you saw Renee's reaction to her that night. Renee is crazy and not in a cute way. She thinks that she and I are a couple; despite me stating several times that we were not. Lauren suffered a really horrible childhood; it is not fair that she now has to put up with being harassed. She will be the first to tell you that she was out on the street by the time she was 13; by the time I met her on my sixteenth birthday, she was involved in illegal activity because she needed to have money to survive. However; from my knowledge about her now, she is not involved in that lifestyle anymore. Renee needs to stop." Jon answered.

"Jon, we'll have a discussion with Renee; it does say in the article that no charges have ever been brought against Lauren. However, it also does imply that it's not because the police haven't tried. We of course can't tell you who to see in your personal life; I would just caution you to be careful, I know what rumors can fly around in the back." Stephanie said with a smile.

"Thank you, Stephanie. I appreciate your concern; and also that you'll speak to Renee, I don't want to cause trouble for her but she needs to back off and leave me alone." Jon responded and shook Stephanie's hand. As Jon left and headed back to his locker room; he couldn't help but notice a group of superstars hanging around in a huddle near one of the walls. When he walked over; a copy of the article was hanging on the wall and people were whispering about it. He didn't even bother tear the thing off the wall. He headed into his locker room.

"Jon; I don't mean to piss you off Brotha, but your friend Lauren. Is she a prostitute?" Joe asked trying not to sound as surprised as he was feeling. She had seemed like a very nice woman the night Jon had introduced her. Jon sighed and sat down.

"Look; she was, back when she was 16. She was a runaway and needed the money to survive; not to mention the fact that her pimp was a real violent, piece of shit. If she had tried to leave; he would have killed her and not blinked. I know; cause he was my mother's pimp to. Anyways; she's not doing that anymore. The fact that everyone around here knows is because Renee wanted to cause trouble." Jon answered truthfully. "Lauren isn't ashamed that she had to do that in order to live. I had wanted to take her with me when I headed to the Indies; I even asked her to go with me, I loved her back then guys. She told me that she'd only hold me back. Now that we've reconnected; I don't know I just feel like I can't lose her again."

Joe and Colby looked at their friend; surprised to hear that kind of emotion from him. Joe finally walked over and put his hand on Jon's shoulder. "You know we have your back; Lauren seemed like a really sweet woman when we met her, I liked her. Past is past; Renee shouldn't have been so dirty to pull up stuff like that on her. If either of you need anything we can help with; you'll let us know right?" Jon nodded to his friend. "You know brotha; the way you just talked about Lauren that was some serious straight-up love talk. You hold on to this one!"


	10. Chapter 10

It was about a week since Jon had spoken with Stephanie and Paul about Renee's behavior when Lauren had arranged to meet up with him on the road for a few days. Renee had been fairly quiet the last few days; but Jon had a sneaking suspicion that they had not heard the last from her yet. Jon left word with the production assistant working the entrance that he was expecting Lauren, and that he could just direct her to his locker room. Lauren arrived a short time later; and followed the young man's directions towards Jon's locker room. She couldn't help but notice the stares she was receiving from people; however, she never would give anyone the satisfaction of letting people see that she was bothered. As she continued to walk; she found her intended path blocked. A man who Lauren thought resembled a cross between one of those guys from 'Duck Dynasty' and perhaps a tourist in Florida stood there. "I'm sorry; if I could just get past you, I would appreciate it." Lauren asked politely.

"It's interesting that Dean would choose to lie with a woman so much like his own mother. Then again, it does indicate that the apple truly doesn't fall far from the tree; his daddy fell under the spell of a daughter of Sodom as well. I've been trying to save poor Dean from the demons which haunt him; I could save you as well! I control the demons; I have the power, for I'm the eater of worlds." Bray preached in his southern accent.

"Um; ok. I have no idea who you are; but neither 'Dean' nor I need saving. As for the demons you say are chasing one or both of us; my demons do not chase me, they drive me to be 'better'. As for being a daughter of Sodom; I can only assume that is some religious zealot term for prostitute, if that is the case you may kindly keep your views to yourself. Now; I ask you politely one more time to move out of my way." Lauren narrowed her eyes at the man. When he made no motions to move out of her way; she made an attempt to go around him. Bray grabbed Lauren and slammed her against the wall; laughing as her head hit violently and she lost consciousness. Bray picked her up effortlessly and put her over his shoulder. Renee stepped out of the darkness and thanked Bray.

"No, thank you! She'll be very useful I'm sure." Bray laughed as he carried Lauren off down the hallway. Renee smiled to herself; it wasn't exactly how she had planned to handle the situation, but at least she'd be out of the way. She walked off in the opposite direction so that no one would suspect she had helped Bray. She was already on thin ice with Stephanie and Paul.

Later that evening Jon was getting ready for his match; he was starting to be concerned about Lauren not arriving yet. She had said she was going to be there early. He figured he would have just enough time to find the production assistant and find out if he had seen her. As he was walking the route; he spotted something odd ahead of him. Someone had left a suitcase just sitting in the middle of the hallway. As he approached it; Jon started getting a really bad feeling. He took one look at the luggage tag and realized his feeling was correct; it was Lauren's suitcase. There's no way she would have just left it sitting there. Jon looked around and felt his stomach turn as his eyes reached the wall; he could see what appeared to be a spot of blood. Lauren! Jon ran back to his locker room; Colby and Joe looked up as the door slammed against the wall. "Whoa brotha; take it easy man! What's going on?" Joe asked watching his friend pace frantically back and forth, wild-eyed.

"Someone has Lauren!" Jon said. "I was concerned so I went to see if the production assistant had seen her yet. Part way there; I found Lauren's suitcase just sitting in the middle of the hallway and there was blood on the wall. Someone has her and she's hurt; I swear to god I will kill whoever has her!" Jon growled.

Joe looked at Jon and then over at Colby; "Jon you have a match in a minute, Colby and I will start looking for her ok? Just stay calm! Go out for your match before Stephanie and Paul freak out." He gave Jon a light slap on the shoulder. "We'll find her Jon; she can't be too far away." Jon nodded and tried to calm himself down. He headed for the Gorilla; trusting Colby and Joe to find her.

Jon was distracted during his match; normally beating a guy like Miz would have been child's play, but he was overwhelmed by what was going on with Lauren. He knew Miz was going to swing at him next; he was supposed to duck the blow, but with his head somewhere else he forgot to duck and Miz's fist made contact with his face. Mike tried to hide the shock on his face; he wasn't supposed to have actually hit Jon. He wasn't quite sure what to do next; he knew he couldn't stand there and look stupid, so he grabbed Jon and hit the 'Skull Crushing Finale' on Jon. He covered Jon; knowing he wasn't supposed to win this match, the ref counted to three and Mike celebrated the win in front of the crowd. Jon on the other hand was on the mat trying to make sense of what had just happened he knew it was his fault for screwing up the match. Just then on the Titan-tron; Bray Wyatt's sinister face appeared.

"Dean, Dean, Dean. I told you I was going to take everything from you and I have done my best; but you have somehow managed to come out ahead of me, man! Your parents didn't care about you; no! If they had; they might have taught you not to leave your toys lying around. I found one trying desperately to find you, but she found me instead." The camera filming him panned over to show an unconscious Lauren, slumped in a chair. Dean went berserk, screaming at the Titan-tron and Bray Wyatt. "Don't worry though; I'll take good care of her, she's a feisty one! Bray Wyatt laughed and screen went black. Jon howled and jumped out of the ring; looking possessed. Once he hit the backstage area; he started screaming for Bray. He grabbed a few people by the collars demanding to know where Bray was. When no one seemed to know the answer; his rampage continued. Paul showed up trying to get Jon under control; only to be shoved by Jon. Colby and Joe arrived just in time to catch the fist that was about to be thrown in Paul's direction.

"JON! That's not solving anything man! Paul isn't the enemy here and you running around here breaking shit isn't going to find her any quicker! Now calm your ass down; Bray isn't going to be stupid enough to hurt her." Joe said while holding his friend tightly; so he couldn't do anymore damage.

"He's already hurt her! Let go of me Joe; I mean it, I don't want to have to kick your ass Brotha. I will though! I need to find her!" Jon roared. It was right then that a very nervous production assistant came running up to the group.

"I…I…Just saw Bray Wyatt carrying a woman into the parking area and drive off with her; I tried to get venue security to keep him from leaving, but he blew right past them in his car. I…I thought I better tell you." The nervous man stuttered; and after seeing Jon's face contort into what could only be described as Fury, he ran away as fast as he could.

"HE'S A DEAD MAN!" Jon bellowed and stared at Paul. He stormed off desperately trying to think of who might be able to help find her. His first thought was Jackson; but Lauren had sent him to Ireland. He thought, at this point Jon was even considering anyone he might know who had a criminal background. Bray had stepped over the line between real life and storyline and in doing so had effectively signed his own death warrant. Lauren's voice echoed in his ear, "We ended on good terms. I know that if I ever needed anything; I could ask Lorenzo and he would do what he could to help me." Briefly Jon considered how crazy of a thought it was that he was having. Was he really considering calling Lauren's ex-husband for help? Yes, he was! He had no idea how to get ahold of this man he'd never met; then it came to him. Juliette, Lauren's personal assistant must have his number! He called the service's number only to be greeted by Juliette's cheerful voice. "Juliette; this is Jon, Lauren's boyfriend. Something bad has happened and I need help trying to find Lauren. Do you have her ex-husband Lorenzo's phone number?" Jon sounded frantic.

"Oh my god! What's happened? Is she ok? Sorry! Um…Yes! I have his number; hold on!" He could hear her rummaging through things. "Ok. Here's his number! Please find her; and please keep me informed, I could try to get Jackson back in the states." Juliette said.


	11. Chapter 11

Dean got back to the hotel suite; Colby and Joe not far behind him and picked up the phone. "Who are you calling Jon, the cops?" Colby asked. Dean looked over at Colby; his first reaction was to snap at his friend, but he realized they were just trying to help.

"No. I'm not calling the cops; they aren't going to be involved in this. Where Lauren and I grew up; you didn't involve the cops, most of them didn't give a shit anyways. You got a group together and you handled issues yourself. That's my plan. I'm calling someone who just might be the only person who cares about Lauren as much as I do." He dialed the number; aware that his friends were now trading looks back and forth between each other.

A woman answered the phone on the other end, "Alvarez residence, can I help you?"

"Yes, I need to speak to Lorenzo Alvarez please. Tell him it's in regards to Lauren Anderson." Jon said, figuring if he said it was about Lauren to begin with he might save some time.

"Hello? This is Lorenzo Alvarez, what is it I can help you with?" A man picked up on the other end. Dean figured he sounded like he might be slightly older than Dean; but honestly not as old as Dean had pictured in his mind. The man spoke with a sense of refinement; like he was educated, it didn't really surprise Dean. Lauren had told him the guy was a businessman. It would make sense he was educated.

"Hello; I'm sorry you do not know me, my name is Dean Ambrose and I have been dating your ex-wife Lauren. Look; this is a really awkward call for me, honestly the only reason I thought to call you was because Lauren said she felt that you would do anything to help her if she ever needed it." Dean explained.

"Alright; what is it that Lauren needs help with and out of curiosity, why isn't she calling me herself?" Lorenzo asked warily.

"Lauren can't call you herself; she's been kidnapped and while I'm not sure the extent, I know she's injured. I need help tracking down the sick bastard who took her. Originally, I thought of contacting Jackson; but Lauren sent him to Ireland to help one of her girls. I remembered that Lauren told me that she felt you would help if she was in trouble. This guy clearly has gone nuts; he's a co-worker of mine, but he's crossed a line and now he has Lauren. I'm really afraid that to get to me; he'll do something stupid and really hurt her." Dean explained; feeling just a little annoyed that he has to waste the time to fill in all the details this second.

"Have you contacted the police?" Lorenzo asked quickly.

"I prefer to handle this without the cops. First, when I find this guy; I don't want to feel like I can't break every bone in his body and if the cops are there that can't happen. Secondly, I'm guessing considering the business she runs; she won't exactly be their first priority if you know what I mean. Finally, I don't have time to sit around and wait for their coffee and donut breaks to be over before someone starts looking for her." Dean heard what the thought might be a laugh on the other end of the phone.

"You and I sound like we might be of similar mind-sets, Mr. Ambrose. Where are you now and I will be there in a few hours." Lorenzo said.

"I'm in Philly. I'm staying that the Hilton downtown; suite 301, or if you want I can meet you at the airport." Dean felt a sudden relief that this man was going to help him.

"I'll come to the Hilton; it will be faster than you trying to locate me in the airport. I appreciate that you called me about this; I will see you in a few hours, and Mr. Ambrose we will find Lauren." Lorenzo said confidently. Once he hung up the phone with Dean; Lorenzo gathered up some of his men. "Someone made a huge mistake tonight and went after MY family! He's kidnapped Lauren and I don't think I need to emphasize how important she is to me. So we're going to Philly; we're going to help her boyfriend find her and then we're going to kill the guy responsible. Grab what you need; we're leaving on the jet immediately! He then pulled aside his most trusted associate. "Do we have relationships with anyone in Philly; a family who might be willing to assist us?" He asked the well-built, Italian man standing next to him.

"Yeah; I think Joey M's crew is in Philly! I'll give him a call and see if he can keep an ear out. Other than Joey M; there is the Castillo family, but they're hit or miss. You never really know what side they'll land on and if they sudden decide to land on the kidnapper's side; we'll be screwed. You ok boss?"

"I'll be ok when we find Lauren and see that she's ok. Until then; I am a very, very dangerous man with plenty of money and resources to make this guy's life hell! Let's go." Lorenzo grabbed his guns, making sure to tuck them into the holsters under his suit jacket. He headed with his two personal security men to the limo. They didn't need to be concerned with airport security and their varied weapons. Lorenzo had private airports in several places; both foreign and domestic, so that he could conduct his business without too many issues.

Lorenzo Alveraz was in fact a business man; it was the nature of his business that was questionable. His father ran one of the most dangerous drug cartels in South America; his twin brother entered the family business in his late teens, running errands and making small deliveries. Lorenzo's mother worried about having both of her son's in such a dangerous business; she didn't have to worry too much though, Lorenzo had no desire to follow in his father's footsteps. He instead managed to get into Harvard and decided he wanted to teach history. Things changed pretty quickly; Lorenzo's father was targeted by a rival cartel and in the process of killing his father, they accidental shot Lorenzo's mother as well. His brother went on a bloody rampage; killing any rival he could get his hands on. Several months later; Lorenzo received the word that his twin had been killed. He was the only one left in his family; and there was a huge organization of people that depended on their various jobs to survive. Lorenzo felt obligated to take it over. Unlike his father and brother; Lorenzo was a bit more diplomatic. He managed to make peace with some of the rival cartels; though the ones that still insisted on causing problems were eliminated. During the course of running the family cartel; Lorenzo had met several American mafia families. He admired how these families ran their businesses; so much so that he re-modeled his own business in a similar fashion. It allowed him to keep a closer eye on things; it also opened up many doors for expansion into the US. Yes; Lorenzo was a businessman, a drug kingpin and mob boss. The only thing he loved more than his business was the younger, intelligent escort who had managed to steal his heart and convinced him to become a husband. Despite the fact that he and Lauren had been divorced for several years; he still loved her unconditionally and on occasions had his people check on her. Whoever this man was that had taken Lauren; had no idea the type of man he had now started a very dangerous game of cat and mouse with!

It was several hours after the phone call had ended; when Dean heard the knock on the door of the hotel suite. He headed for the door and checked through the peephole to ensure it wasn't a group of crazy fan girls. What he found was a group of very well dressed gentleman; who looked like it wouldn't be a smart idea to antagonize. Dean opened the door; he looked to the man in front of him. "I'm Dean Ambrose," Dean said "Are you Lorenzo?"

The tan, muscular man in the expensive looking suit held out a hand to Dean. "Yes, I'm Lorenzo Alvarez; a pleasure to meet you Mr. Ambrose." The two men shook hands and Dean let all of the men into the suite. Lorenzo turned to his right-hand man, "I want you to go visit Joey M; explain that this guy has disrespected me personally, let him know that I will pay anyone in his family double their current pay if they find Lauren. However; make it crystal clear that I want this guy alive and brought to me. Tell Joey that I said any help his family can offer me will be rewarded greatly." The man nodded and took two of the other men with him; heading off to give his boss' message to Joey. Lorenzo then turned to Dean; do you have a vehicle Mr. Ambrose?"

"Yeah; I have a truck in the parking garage. You want to go looking for her?" Jon asked.

"I think that makes sense; you have a better idea than I do where someone like this guy..." Lorenzo was cut off.

"Bray Wyatt. His name is Bray Wyatt. Dean offered.

"Alright; you might have an idea where this Bray Wyatt might be hiding. You probably know of friends of his that we can go speak to." Lorenzo said to Dean. Dean led the way to his rental truck and the two men got in. At first; the drive was silent, neither man knew exactly how to interact with the other. Dean finally couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Lauren told me about you and your relationship. Thanks for treating her with respect and like a person. She hasn't had many people who have treated her well. Thanks also for coming to help; I appreciate it." He glanced over at the man beside him.

"I treat Lauren the way she deserves to be treated; even if I did have to convince her of that." Lorenzo gave a small chuckle. "I'm sure you've figured out she can be stubborn when she chooses to be." He smiled at the man driving. The comment was met with a chuckle from Dean.

"Yep; that's Lauren! She's been that way for as long as I've known her. Once she decides things are one way; she sticks to that with an all-consuming passion." Dean smiled. Lorenzo looked over at him curiously.

"How long have you been with Lauren, Mr. Ambrose?" He was confused by Dean's comment that hinted that he had known her for a lot longer than Lorenzo might have thought.

"Please; call me Dean. I've only been dating Lauren for two weeks; but I met her when I was 16. We became friends…" This time it was Lorenzo who cut Dean off mid-sentence.

"And more; Jesus, you're him aren't you. Your given name is Jon, right?" Lorenzo was now looking right at Dean with a rather awe-struck look on his face.

"Yeah, my real name is Jon Good; Dean Ambrose is what I go by now, it's the name I wrestle under. What did you mean when you said 'You're him aren't you"? Dean kept his eyes on the road, but glanced over at Lauren's ex-husband.

"Sorry; it's just that she talked about you all the time, I didn't think I'd ever actually meet you. Maybe Lauren would have introduced us at some point; but I think you should know that you are very important to Lauren, truly. You are the man she judges all men against; and I have to say, you set a very high bar for the rest of us." Lorenzo chuckled. "I think I may have just squeaked up to the bar; I'm not sure there is a man alive who could ever raise the bar. Dean or Jon; whichever you prefer, she's always been in love with you. I doubt she ever stopped. I know she loves or loved me to; but it wasn't what she feels for you. You're very lucky; and I should be the one thanking you, if you hadn't been around she never would have lasted in that hell she called a life as teenager. I never would have met and fallen in love with her; just so you are aware, if you ever break her heart, you and I will see each other again in a less friendly atmosphere." Lorenzo looked at him with a stone-face. Dean had a feeling that Lorenzo meant every word of that threat.

"We'll never have to worry about that; I was stupid to leave her in that place to begin with. It was dumb luck or coincidence, maybe it was fate that brought her back into my life. Whatever it was; I don't intend on letting her go anywhere again. I admit; I've been with other women before she came back into my life, but they weren't Lauren and I knew none of them would last. We have to find her; I need her, I can't live without her again." Dean said, trying very hard not to cry. That's what he wanted to do, but that wouldn't solve a thing or bring her back any faster, so he needed to bury that emotion and bring back his first love.


End file.
